Page 53 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“I’ll do that,” Ellie said, “but first I want to get the dining room set up so that Mavis can sew the curtains. I feel vulnerable when anyone can see in.”
Dora laughed. “I think we’re suitably far away from any prying eyes up here, don’t you?”
Ellie looked at Mavis. Don’t say anything, her look said.
Chapter 21
They settled into a routine. Bruno, who seemed to have adopted them and considered himself part of the family, came up in the mornings, bringing a baguette. Tiger, the kitten, was naughty but delightful, chasing anything that moved before collapsing exhausted on to a lap where he lay purring. Mavis sewed at the long table, while Ellie or Dora instructed her in French. Ellie was rather impressed how easily she picked it up. Mavis clearly had a good brain but had been forced to accept her role in life.How many people are held back because of lack of education?she thought.What could I have done if I’d been allowed to go to university? I, too, was forced into my role—docile, loving wife and mother, making sure the house ran smoothly for the breadwinner. And now ...She paused, smiling to herself.Who knows what is next?
One morning she came upon Dora, sitting on the terrace, staring out to sea. At first she thought Dora was lost in contemplation but then noticed one hand was on her wrist. She was taking her pulse.
“Are you in pain?” she asked, going over to sit beside her.
Dora looked up, startled at being interrupted from her reverie. “Oh no. No pain. It’s my heart, you see. Congestive heart failure. It’s funny, but for a while I’d forgotten that I was supposed to be dead by now. All the excitement of coming here, finding this place. I’d really forgotten.And it was only now that I noticed how quickly I became out of breath and how weak my pulse had become.”
“Should we take you to a doctor?” Ellie asked in concern.
Dora shook her head. “Oh no, my dear. Doctors can’t do anything. One day it will just stop beating, and that will be that. It shouldn’t be a messy death for you.”
Ellie looked at her with tenderness. “Are you afraid to die?”
“Afraid?” Dora shook her head fiercely. “No, I’m not afraid. Only annoyed.”
“Annoyed?” Ellie had to smile.
“Yes, at all the things I never managed to do. I never climbed the Himalayas. I never rode with the Bedouins across the desert. I never wrote a novel or found a drug that might cure cancer. I leave no legacy, no proof that I was ever here.”
“I’m sure you were missed in the village,” Ellie said kindly.
“Missed, yes. But not beloved. That fussy old woman. That bossy old woman. That’s the height of my achievement in life, I suppose. Properly ironed altar cloths and found perfect flowers for the church. They’ll miss the flowers, but not me.”
“I’ll miss you,” Ellie said. “Let’s just see if we can keep you around a little longer, eh? Buck you up with some good food.”
Dora smiled at her. “You’ve been a good friend, Ellie. One of the only true friends I’ve had. I’ll be sorry to leave this place.” She turned away, staring out to sea again. Today the Mediterranean sparkled under a cloudless sky. A sleek yacht passed, far out to sea. The breeze was scented with blossom.
It was a while before she spoke again. “I’ve had such a small life. So much of it wasted with trivialities: those perfectly ironed altar cloths. As if they mattered. I’m sure they didn’t to God.” She stopped talking, staring out at the view again. “So many things I wanted to do. I told you my father was in the army, didn’t I? He was often away for long periods, but I grew up in a splendid big house in Hampshire. Acres of grounds with trees to be climbed.”
“Trees to be climbed?” Ellie said, giving Dora an amused look.
“Oh yes. I was the best one at climbing trees. I had four brothers; I was the only girl, but I did everything with them. I was even allowed to share their tutor, and he told me I had a good brain for a female. But nobody suggested that I might want to go off to Oxford like two of my brothers. One by one they went. Army, colonial service to Kenya, tin mining in Malaysia, and I was left at home. I was supposed to make a good match. That was my job. What they meant was someone to take me off my parents’ hands.”
“But you never fell in love, found the right man?”
“Not one that wanted me,” she said. “Looking back on it, I suppose I was too blunt and forthright for a woman. I’ve always spoken my mind and never hidden my intellect. Men like a pretty but dull wife. Not too smart. In no way a challenge to them.”
I wonder how Lionel is handling clever Michelle who went to university.The thought flashed through Ellie’s head.
“So you remained at home?”
“There were not many jobs for a woman in those days,” Dora said. “At least not for a woman of my social level. I wasn’t about to be a companion. But then I read about typewriting machines having been invented. I sent off for one and taught myself, secretly in my room, then I got a job in the city. My mother was horrified. Going up on the train with all those men? What was I thinking? But I was good at it. And I loved it, in spite of the fact that the young men I worked with thought that, as a female, it was my job to bring them coffee and generally wait on them. I set them straight on that, of course.”
She looked up at Ellie, who nodded encouragement.
“Eventually I became personal assistant to the company director. Mr Ambrose. Such an interesting man. Powerful but not arrogant. He appreciated my good brain and never talked down to me. And then ...”
There was a long pause.
“And then we drew closer. Too close. I became his mistress.” She looked up and laughed. “I see you are shocked. I was a little shockedmyself. But we had some good years together. I knew my place. I realized our time together was precious and this would be the closest to happiness I’d ever come.”
